Exodus 34:15

15 Don't make a covenant with those who live in the land. When they prostitute themselves with their gods and sacrifice to their gods, they may invite you and you may end up eating some of the sacrifice.

Exodus 34:15 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 34:15

Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the
land
A marriage covenant, taking their daughters in marriage to their sons, and "vice versa", as the following words show; here the caution is to be understood and the words supplied from ( Exodus 34:12 ) and inserted and connected thus, "take heed to thyself, lest thou make"

and they go a whoring after their gods;
that is, the inhabitants of the land, and particularly those with whom the Israelites made a covenant, and entered into a marriage relation with, and perhaps on this condition, that they would abstain from idolatry; and yet, contrary to the obligation they laid themselves under, lust after their idols, and commit spiritual fornication or adultery with them, which is explained by the next clause:

and do sacrifice unto their gods;
such as the first institutors of their idolatry enjoined, and their ancestors had observed, and were according to the rites and customs of the country:

and [one] call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice;
invite to eat of what remained, that was offered to the idol: hence it appears, that having feasts at sacrifices, and eating things offered to idols in a festival way, are very ancient practices; see ( 1 Corinthians 10:27 1 Corinthians 10:28 ) .

Exodus 34:15 In-Context

13 You must tear down their altars, smash their sacred stone pillars, and cut down their sacred poles.
14 You must not bow down to another god, because the LORD is passionate: the LORD's name means "a passionate God."
15 Don't make a covenant with those who live in the land. When they prostitute themselves with their gods and sacrifice to their gods, they may invite you and you may end up eating some of the sacrifice.
16 Then you might go and choose their daughters as wives for your sons. And their daughters who prostitute themselves with their gods might lead your sons to prostitute themselves with their gods.
17 Don't make metal gods for yourself.
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